This book is quite different than the others in the Hunger Games series. It delves into the past of President Snow, showing us his life when he was around the same age as Katniss when she volunteered for her sister to go to the arena.  We also see a time when the Hunger Games were not very popular. The book explores how President Snow's actions shaped the future of the Capitol.

The writing style is descriptive and it contains rich vocabulary. It is slow at first, carefully describing each aspect of Coriolanus’s environment and his thoughts. Suzanne Collins is a brilliant author, and her writing style is amazing. The book has about five hundred pages, and not a single one felt like a waste of time. Every single word had its value to the story.

The plot is not that complicated, but it may give off that impression because of Coriolanus's scheme. Initially, we learn about his life – how he lives with his grandma and his cousin Tigris in poverty, despite their family's previous wealth and prestige. We discover the impact of the war between the Capitol and the Districts. Coriolanus lost everything due to the war started by the Districts, leading to his intense hatred for all District people, whom he doesn't even consider human. He attends the Academy and pretends to be wealthy while excelling in his studies. However, if he doesn't receive the Academy's scholarship, he won't be able to continue his education and will be forced to take up an inferior job, facing poverty for the rest of his life. When it's decided that the best mentor of the tenth Hunger Games will receive the scholarship, Coriolanus is determined to win. However, luck is not on his side as he is assigned a tribute from the poorest District of all – Lucy Gray, the songbird.

This book features extremely interesting characters. We have Coriolanus, who is controlling and manipulative and doesn't care about anyone but himself. This story is not about a tragic hero who turned evil because of how poorly people treated him. He also was not in circumstances when he would have to hurt anyone. He simply always found a reason to excuse his horrible actions. And even when he is in love – though I would not even call it love honestly – with Lucy Gray, it comes out more like obsession than affection. He liked the thought of owning her, and when she got out of his control, he realized that those feelings were making him weak and he started to despise her. He had many chances to be good, but he always found a way not to be, although many people, such as Tigris, tried to help him many times.

Next, we have Lucy Gray. She was free-spirited and often found herself in unfortunate situations. She only resorted to killing because of the circumstances she was in, unlike Coriolanus, who derived pleasure from it. Lucy believed that freedom was more important than the system put in place by the Capitol to "protect" the citizens. She did not believe that people would mindlessly kill each other, even in the absence of a system. This is the most significant difference between her and Coriolanus – she was not a bad person and did not assume evil in others.

There is also Sejanus, Coriolanus’s best friend. However, the friendship is one-sided. Coriolanus only pretends to be friends with him, because his family is rich and provides the scholarship. Sejanus's family used to live in District Two. He is one of the few people with morals who refuse to participate in events that involve watching children kill each other, especially when those children were born after the war was over. He recognizes the meaninglessness of the entire situation and actively opposes it.

Dr. Gaul is a character that doesn't appear frequently but plays a crucial role in the Hunger Games and Corionalus's life and decisions. She supports Corionalus's concept of humanity and encourages him in his appalling acts. Dr. Gaul is the polar opposite of Lucy Gray; she sees beauty in violence and terror and genuinely believes that people are inherently evil and hateful towards each other. According to her, there must be a social contract—a set of established laws akin to Thomas Hobbes's ideology—to prevent chaos and maintain order, even if it means sacrificing some freedom.

I believe this book is worth reading and it's my favorite one from the entire series. It's more philosophical and has less action, but if you're interested in political philosophy and dark psychology, it's a must-read. It addresses social issues that are relevant even to the current world situation, and it's certainly enjoyable.